Hebrews 5:1-14

What does it mean that Christ completely obeyed the Father for us? How can you, in turn, seek to obey the Father?

This chapter introduces instructions about how high priests are to be picked out.

In verse 1, we read: Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.

Not only that, but they can't nominate themselves to be priests. It's not like the nominating committees for church council offices in this day and age. You know how it is. People get running scared when it's time for the church council to be elected. Especially when they get a call from someone they know is on the nominating committee.

But in those early days of the Hebrew church, it was God who called people to serve. Try to turn him down!

In verses 4-6, this matter is cleared up: No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father." And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

That "other place" referred to above is an exact quote from Psalm 110:4b -- "you are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

So who exactly was Melchizedek? The first Biblical reference to Melchizedek goes all the way back to Genesis 14:18-20: Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed by Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.

What could it possibly mean that Jesus Christ is a priest in "the order of Melchizedek?"

Christians believe that Jesus, like Melchizedek, was not a Levite. Because of this, neither of them would not qualify for Levitical priesthood.

If you want to explore a diversion into Melchizedek and the fact that the Bible offers no lineage, no recorded family tree, for this man, there is plenty of information available from a wide view of Internet sources.

One view says that just because Melchizedek's geneology is not recorded probably means that he was not a big enough player in Biblical history -- that is, compared to Abraham -- to have his lineage printed up. I'm not sure I believe this. Melchizedek is mentioned several times in the Bible, and always in a position of comparison with Jesus Christ.

That does not say "unimportant" to me.

Truth is, Melchizedek has a place in Bible history. But we can't trace his Biblical genealogy to Levi, so he couldn't qualify as a Levitical high priest.

Jesus, on the other hand, is the Son of God. Because of his divine lineage, Jesus' ability to be a high priest more elevated than Melchizedek is assured by God himself. All his life, Jesus was dutiful and obedient. And without sin. Even at the very end of his life, during his anguished suffering and death, Jesus cried out loudly to God above to be spared the painful suffering.

He was not spared.

But Jesus submitted and because he submitted to death, we learn in verses 8-11: Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

But the Hebrews seem to have forgotten all that.

In this chapter, they're like big babies. They've been lollygagging about when, in fact, they should have been teachers bringing others to the Lord. They were told that, quite frankly, they were slow to learn.

Might just as well have called them ignoramuses.Now they had to learn the most basic, most elementary truths about salvation all over again.

To make it perfectly plain to them, the Hebrews are told (verses 13-14): Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

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